Chapter One – The Reading of the Wills
Harry walked into the kitchen several minutes later to find Uncle Vernon reading the morning paper. "About time, the bacon and eggs are on the counter and don't burn them this time." he said without glancing up from his paper.
"Yes Uncle Vernon" Harry replied evil grin still in place as he walked up to the table pulling out his wand. Vernon as usual was oblivious to what was going on around him or at least he was until he heard Dudley let out a girlish shriek and dive under the table. Wondering what could send his sun scurrying he looked over his paper and his hands began to shake. "Now see here Potter what do you plan on doing with that? You know damn well that you're not allowed to do magic outside of that freak school of yours, you'll be expelled." He said sounding like he was channeling some small part of Snape.
"Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that dear uncle. You never know when the rules of the game might have changed when you weren't looking." Harry drawled.
He watched his aunt and uncle pale as he raised his wand above the kitchen table giving it a slight wave he said "Lets test your theory." As the table filled with the finest breakfast foods imaginable. Taking a moment to silently thank Hermione for all the times she had hauled him and Ron off to study in the library. He turned back to face the Dursleys making a show of looking for owls. After a few minutes when it became clear that nobody was going to come and arrest their nephew the Dursleys began to panic. "By now you have probably realized that that I can now do magic outside of Hogwarts, and because of this pleasant turn of events things are going to be a little different around here."
Uncle Vernon who had been turning a steady shade of purplish-red suddenly realized that he was begin lectured by a child and decided that he was going to put a stop to it once and for all. Rising from the table so violently that he knocked his chair over he started to advance on Harry. Without hesitation Harry brought his wand to bear on his rampaging uncle. "INCARCEROUS" He roared catching his uncle mid-stride and watching as he fell to the floor bound by magical ropes. Uncle Vernon struggled against his bindings trying to escape, but all he succeeded in doing though was causing them to tighten even more. Glancing around for somebody to help him his eyes landed on Aunt Petunia who had fainted around the time that Harry had conjured up some breakfast. "Listen well you ungrateful little bastard you let me go right now or so help me when I get loose I'll make your life a living hell."
"Quiet down you arse I wouldn't want the neighbors to hear about my so called abnormality." Harry said just loud enough to be heard throughout the house. This seemed to work because Vernon suddenly froze and sighed in defeat. "Well, get on with it."
"All my life you have been quick to make sure I was miserable especially while home from school. You made me sleep in a cupboard and treated me like your own personal servant by forcing me to prepare meals for your family, clean up after you, and let's not forget about locking me in my room for things I clearly never did or couldn't possibly have done." Harry rattled off while pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor. "You might be wondering right now like I am 'what can we do to make this up to him?' well I'm going to tell you. From now on you are going to start treating me with more respect while I'm here. You are also going to start cooking your own meals or starve trying though either would be preferable to the current situation. You may not have my godfather Sirius to be scared of anymore but you still have me, and I'm less likely to care if I end up doing noticeable damage." At this Vernon gulped audibly before saying "Fine whatever you want. Just let me go."
"As you wish dear uncle" Harry replied waving his wand to revive Aunt Petunia and Dudley before vanishing the bindings holding his uncle. Vernon picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself off. Without making eye contact with Harry he gathered the rest of his family and they all went about their business pretending the whole thing had never happened. Deciding that it would be better to explore his expanded freedom he grabbed some of the food he had conjured and went back up to his room to figure out what he wanted to do for once with the coming day.
He was mulling over the different things he could do today when he walked into his room to find several owls sitting on his desk with packages. He recognized Ron's owl Pig, Hermione's owl Athena, two of the school owls from Hogwarts, but he had no idea who the fifth one belonged to. It was a beautiful tawny owl that held a single scroll of parchment bearing the seal of some unknown law firm in his outstretched talon. Curiosity getting the best of him Harry took the scroll from this owl first and set it aside as he watched the owl fly away back to wherever it came from before going back to the rest of the owls most of whom were waiting patiently on his desk. After relieving Hedwig and Athena of their parcels and giving them owl treats he set out to capture Ron's owl who wasn't content with sitting and waiting to deliver its package. After several minutes and a few scratches later he decided to stun the poor owl hoping whatever it was carrying wasn't breakable. Walking over to where the little owl had fallen he gently untied the letter from his foot before setting it in Hedwig's cage to recover.
Gathering all the packages and letters he had received he sat down on his bed and started to open them putting the letter from the tawny owl aside to read last. Picking up the first package he read the note attached to find that it was from Hermione.
"Dear Harry,
Even though you'll probably never read it I got you Hogwarts a History because with all the trouble that seems to find you you never know when it might come in handy in the future.
-Hermione"
Picking up the heavy book he made a promise to himself that if everything worked out and he survived defeating Voldemort he might actually sit down and read it. Folding the note back up and placing it back on top of its gift he picked up the next two packages which were from Hogwarts one being his school letter and the other happened to be from Hagrid. Deciding His school letter could wait for another day he picked up Hagrid's package and found the usual assortment of rock cakes and other things that he normally sent Harry on his birthday. Picking up the next gift he found it was from the entire Weasley family.
"Dear Harry,
Just thought we'd send our best wishes on your special day after all you only have one coming of age in your life time and it deserves to be special. Each of us has sent you a little something as a gift. Have a pleasant birthday and don't let the muggles get you down.
-The Weasley Family"
Opening the box he found the standard Weasley sweater, a book on quidditch from Ron, an assortment of jokes from the twin's joke shop, and some sweets from Ginny. Happy that his day was finally beginning to get better he picked up the odd letter from earlier. The only outside markings were his address and a wax seal on the back the with DW&H imprinted in it. After checking to make sure it wasn't some kind of trick or a trap he opened it.
The top of the letter bore the same image as the seal only in more detail. After completely unrolling the letter he began to read.
"From the law office of Dewey, Chetum, and Hou
Office Number 12
Diagon Alley
London
Dear Mr. Potter,
It has recently come to our attention that you have of come of age and are now a legal adult in the eyes of the wizarding world. Due to this you are hereby requested and required to attend a reading of the wills of Sirius Black and Lily and James Potter within one month's time. Failure to attend could result in the forfeiture of any and all inheritance to the next in line or if nobody else exists then to the Ministry.
We await your response no later that a week from today so that we may make plans on how to proceed.
Thank you for your time,
The Lawyers of Dewey, Chetum and Hou Law Offices"
After reading the letter Harry sat their shocked. Until now the loss of Sirius had seemed to affect Harry very little. Since their hadn't been a body recovered that could be buried it all somehow didn't seem real, but now as he sat here reading this letter it gave him the sense of finality he had been missing since the end of term. Tears began to fall down his face as he realized that no matter what he did Sirius was really gone and there was no way to bring him back. Rolling the letter back up he put it in a safe place then went to his desk to write them a response.
Nearly twenty minutes later he had finished his letter and prepared to send it off with Hedwig. Opening the window in his room he watched as she flew out into the slowly darkening night sky. Before going to bed he prepared letters of thanks to all of his friends who had sent him gifts or letters for his birthday so that he could send them when Hedwig returned.
A few days after sending his letter he came home one evening to find a response waiting on his desk thanking him for responding so quickly and informing him that the wills would be read in two days time at exactly 11:00 am and to make sure his schedule for the day was clear since no one was certain how long the reading would take. Shocked that something this important could have been handled so quickly he spent the whole next day rushing around his room looking for some presentable robes to wear to the reading. After three or four hours he settled on his green dress robes from the previous term, now all he had to do was find a way to get to Diagon Alley without raising too much suspicion. Slowly he eliminated all his options until he was left with just, The Dursleys. He was hesitant to ask them though because he didn't want to break the spell of fear that had seemed to have a hold of them ever since Harry had confronted them at breakfast.
Realizing that he was out of options he decided to take his chances and ask them. That was how he found himself sitting in the living room facing his uncle. "Uncle Vernon?"
"Yes?" he responded with an air of forced politeness.
"I have some business to take care of in London and was wondering if you could drive me there tomorrow?" Harry asked trying to gauge his uncle's reaction.
"Certainly not!" he said with a wicked gleam in his eye "You wanted to be treated more like family, well you got it. Dudley doesn't depend on us to get around with his friends and from now on neither will you." He finished looking pleased with himself.
Sighing in defeat he thanked his uncle for considering it. "Looks like I'll end up taking the knight bus after all" he thought with a shudder remembering the last trip he had on the strange form of transportation.
The day of the reading dawned rainy and cold as Harry woke for the first time in memory not to the sound of his aunt or uncle pounding on his door but to the sound of cars driving down the street, birds singing, and the general sounds of city life. Getting out of bed Harry went and took a shower before going down to breakfast. When he got to the kitchen he found that one of the Dursleys had made an attempt at making food. Not wanting to take a chance on what they made Harry once again chose to conjure his own meal much to the annoyance of the rest of the family. Not wanting the chance another bad encounter with the Dursleys Harry decided to take his food back up to his room. When he finished eating twenty minutes later he began to get ready to go to the reading packing his dress robes neatly in a bag so that he could change into them on the knight bus. Walking back downstairs he reminded the Dursleys that he had some business that he had to take care of in London and that he would be back later that evening.
Walking outside he pulled out his wand and held it slightly in the air as if hailing a cab. With a flash and a bang a violently purple bus appeared out of nowhere. Welcome to the Knight Bus emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I'll be you conductor this evening. Now if you'll step aboard and inform me as to your destination we'll be on our way.
"Thank you Stan, if it wouldn't be too much trouble I would like to go to Diagon Alley." Harry said smiling at Stan's customary speech. "As you wish Mr. Potter" Stan replied before turning to Ernie "Hey Ern take us to Diagon Alley and step on it."
After a short ride consisting of several sharp turns causing mailboxes and whole buildings to jump out of the way they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Stepping off the bus Harry turned and paid Stan then gathered his belongings and entered the pub. Since lunch was still a few hours away there were fewer patrons around to notice him. Looking at his watch he saw that it was 10:45 and hurried out the back door using his wand to tap the correct bricks causing the archway to open onto Diagon Alley. Harry quickly passed shop after shop before stopping in front of a modest little building near Gringotts. After steeling himself for whatever awaited him inside Harry pushed open the door and walked over to the receptionist's desk.
"Welcome to the law office of Dewey, Chetum, and Hou. How might I assist you today." a kind woman asked from behind the receptionists.
"My name is Harry Potter and I have an 11:00 am appointment to attend the reading of two wills here." He said smiling politely at her.
"Very well Mr. Potter, please have a seat over their and one of my associates will be with you shortly." responded the receptionist.
Spotting an empty chair along the wall he went over to sit down and picked up a magazine to thumb through. He didn't have to wait long for his meeting to get under way. He had scarcely read any of the articles before an older looking woman came out and greeted him "Hello Mr. Potter my name is Wanda Chetum I'm glad that you could be here today. If you will please follow me we will get started." Following her into a comfortable meeting room he was pleased to find Remus Lupin, a couple of the professors from Hogwarts, and shockingly The Malfoys minus Mr. Malfoy who was still in prison. Taking a seat across from Mrs. Chetum he watched as she gathered up all of the remaining paperwork that she needed to begin.
"I have brought you here today to read the last will and testament of Sirius Black." Picking up a large file she opened it and began to read it aloud. "I Sirius Black being of sound mind and magical ability hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. To Narcissa and Draco Malfoy I leave not money but my mother's collection of mounted house elf heads as well as her portrait and the seven square feet of wall attached to it." At this the Malfoys looked positively sour and what was said next did nothing to improve their moods. "I do this not as a punishment but as a lesson. For too long you have lived off the Black family fortune and that stops now. From now on you will be cut off from all funds in possession by the Most Noble House of Black and be forced to make your own way in life." Looking up from the folder she turned to face the Malfoys "That is all that is written to the Malfoys except for a request that you leave the building after this portion of the will has been read. Sirius and myself thank you for your time and bid you good day.
Even though they clearly weren't happy Draco and his mother left anyway. After the door had shut behind them Mrs. Chetum turned back to those who were remaining "Lets get back to where we left off shall we? To Hagrid I leave my hippogriff Witherwings. I have a feeling you two will do well together." Hagrid was positively beaming as he replied quietly "Thank you Sirius" before the solicitor turned to Remus. "To Moony, you were as great a friend in life as you were in death. To you I leave the sum of ten million galleons so that you never have to worry about living from paycheck to paycheck again. I also want you to promise that you will live well and die an old grey haired man." Remus stood with tears running down his face before saying for the whole world to hear "Thank you Sirius and I solemnly swear that I will always be up to no good." He finished before sitting back down.
After Remus had sat back down Mrs. Chetum continued "And finally to Harry who I've asked to be represented in all legal affairs by Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout who I trust to look out for your best interests in these matters. I leave all of my remaining earthly possessions consisting of Number Twelve Grimwald Place and a total of 1.3 billion galleons. You will also be granted access to vaults 237, 345, and 13 from Gringotts in them you will find wizarding armor and various magical weapons. My wish is that you use the money and the contents of the vaults I have given you to continue the DA and train them to defeat Voldemort." Harry was so shocked that Sirius could be so generous that he just sat staring into space for a few seconds before rising from his chair and turning to the professors present "Professors I have a request for you."
McGonagall who had an inkling about what he was planning answered him "Anything Harry, as long as it's within my power to grant I will." She said calling him by his first name for the first time. "I would like to ask permission to call the DA back to Hogwarts early and to spend the rest of the summer holiday and the coming term training them to protect the school from Voldemort and his followers" he told her suddenly serious. "Consider permission to be granted Harry." She responded.
Raising his wand he pulled the fake galleon Hermione had given the DA back in their fifth year out of his robes and pointed his wand at it changing the message to read "All willing DA members report to Hogwarts School in three hours for summer training." Raising his wand one final time he said "For you Sirius, I solemnly swear that I will always be up to no good." The rest of the reading went smoothly and a little over and hour later the reading of both wills had been finished with Harry's parents splitting all of their remaining possessions and properties between Remus and Harry.
Stepping out of the Leaky Cauldron accompanied by the professors who had been present earlier Harry called the Knight Bus once again to take him back to the Dursleys where he collected all his things before meeting the Professors outside a few minutes later to catch a portkey to school.